Darkness to Light
by Cosmic Sky
Summary: The unexpected can be both a blessing and a curse, and often change from one or the other depending on how one reacts to them. Akira and Tae were no strangers to each, and they knew how to make the most of what life threw at them. Established Joker/Takemi relationship post-game.
1. Chapter 1

**Going three for three with my Tae-stories. I had a bit of a tough time deciding what the theme would be so with summer officially over and fall here I decided on something of a "hopeful" theme. Hope you all enjoy it.**

 **I do not own anything.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter One: Unexpected Reunion**_

She tried to take the rain as sign that her situation wasn't quite so bad. Or at least that she could work through this, after all, she'd survived worse than this.

Just before leaving Tokyo she'd paid a bit too much attention to the weather forecast, flipping through channels and paying too much mind to what the forecast would be when she arrived at her destination. It was incredibly stupid in hindsight.

Meguro, a rather quiet and well-off suburban town just a little over thirty minutes from the bustling and lively Sumaru City. Truthfully, it was a wonder Tae wasn't being called out there. In the past she'd made two visits to the oddly-shaped city whose mysterious happenings were still being investigated and speculated about to this day. Tae didn't remember much of those events, in fact, a part of her had been somewhat disappointed she'd been called in after the string of "mysterious events" ending with the Foreign Minister's death. All she got to see was a lot red-tap and people whispering to themselves in hushed voices about what may or may not have been real. A year ago, Tae would have quietly written off the more eccentric stories as pure fantasy, but the events of the last couple of months had changed her world view completely.

All that said, deep down she knew the truth of the matter. She was wishing for Sumaru City because there was something in Meguro she didn't want to face. Someone she didn't want to see.

Even after all the trials she endured and the light she was given a part of her still remained shrouded in darkness, desired to remain shrouded in the dark. The saying was true, some habits were indeed hard to kick.

The train ride had been blissful long and quiet which gave her time to plan out how things would go. No, it gave her time to further contemplate one serious question: should she take the risk and go see her boyfriend in his own hometown after months of separation?

Logic would have told her no, it was too dangerous an act to perform. Akira had safely navigated the hell that was his Tokyo life and come out an unsung hero, one whose actions had saved not just Japan but likely the entire world. On top of that to some he was _still_ an evil upon society who was better off locked away instead of freely walking the streets. Somewhere inside, that still bothered Tae a little despite knowing how harsh the world could be. If she and Akira were caught the consequences would be grave, graver than anything they could probably imagine. Word in Tokyo could spread like wildfire, but something told her in a town like Meguro it could spread even faster, and the damage be far more out-reaching despite having a population that just barely surpassed eleven thousand.

Not to mention unlike the last scandal, something told her Akira wouldn't be able to bounce back from this one. Forget three strikes, in this world you were likely if you could survive one.

As the scenery changed from forest to wetland to fields to rivers Tae quietly began going over the pictures in her phone. Each one was like a miniature pin-prick to her heart that had her looking at door number two more and more. Door number two was the path of irrationality and what one would call outright insanity. It was the door that lead her to finding the best boyfriend, probably one of the best men, she'd ever met. For better or for worse Tae wasn't quite what one could call a logical and normal person, she actually took pride in that fact.

" _Well, school life is school life, what are you going to do?"_ He'd told her with a nonchalant smile during one of their first video chats after he'd gotten back home. Everything about him looked so…normal Tae couldn't help but believe him. His posture, his face, his voice, his mood, all of it didn't seem any stranger for when he came in after school or in the evening to do medical trials. It almost convinced her nothing was wrong. Almost.

" _Akira, you know you don't have to hide anything from me."_ She'd said softly wishing she could reach through the screen and touch her face. It was painful how the entire thing had been like talking to a mirror than it was talking to a person at first. _"Remember, I'm still asked to come in and be a consultant from time to time. Trust me, they still look at me funny and avoid me like I'm contaminated."_

" _Based on what you told me about the medical industry in some cases that's a good thing."_ Was his chipper response with a crude smile.

She returned it. _"If you knew some of them, yeah, you could say that. But anyway, what I'm trying to tell me is you can…tell me if its difficult struggling to adjust back to your hometown. I promise no one will know."_

" _Are you promising as my doctor or as my girlfriend?"_ It was typical of him to give a class answer like that which in reality was a question that turned the spotlight back on her. Really, the black-haired teen was too good at those for his own good. But, it was fortunate for her and from time to time unfortunate for him Tae was just as good at it thus she knew how to get around it.

" _Well, let's see…both. My medical license only covers physical alignments but as your girlfriend it's my sacred duty to listen to your emotional and mental problems. Besides,"_ Placing a hand against the screen she gave him a serene smile and spoke with a tone of complete honesty. _"You did the same for me, too many times for me to recall._

He placed his hand against his computer screen, a similar look playing out on his face. Akira knew how much he'd made her worry, how he'd put her through more stress than he had any right to. Tae told him when he stayed in with her she'd never hold it against him, that she was glad for it, and yet it still ate away at him from time to time. From a medical standpoint it was troubling, but from a humane view it showed Akira truly cared about her. That was why she was going to do everything in her power to protect him, shield him, love him even if miles separated them.

" _It…gets a little hard sometimes. I miss everyone, and I mean everyone."_ His gray eyes looked distant and sullen proving the validity of his words. As he often lay on her medical table he'd tell her about his experiences in Tokyo, the friends and associates he'd made…and those he'd lost. It was clear in the wake of his first encounter with Shido Akira had to practically build himself back up, and she had been one of the handful that had helped him do so. _"There are times when I stare at the chalkboard and all I hear is Ms. Kawakami's voice, hell, sometimes that's the only thing that can get me to focus. I got down to the arcade and I can swear I hear Shinya coaching me through it all. When I…whenever I'm by the docks, looking at the ships, I can't help but think about that night. About…"_ He didn't need to say it, he'd told her enough about it all when he got the chance to and Tae realized what happened inside Shido's mind had been cathartic and traumatizing to the teenager. _"You know, the hospitals here could use a doctor like you."_

That statement made her laugh as she sat back on her bed. _"Nice try, but I don't think your sleepy little town could handle a woman like me."_

" _Hey, you never know. Life in Meguro moves a bit slower than you'd think so people here could use the excitement even if they don't openly say it. I sure as hell can."_

" _One problem, your version of excitement tends to have me worrying if I've got everything I need to put you back together."_

" _Tae, just hearing your voice and seeing your face is all I need."_ Only Akira could have said something so corny such as that, and worse, make her believe it. She believed it so much she remembered blushing. It was a good thing she was in the privacy of her own home and not in public or the embarrassment would have been the death of her. _"Seriously though, you should come down for a visit some time. I can think of a few times my folks will be out so I could be with you for a couple of hours."_

That thought sounded so appealing and she wanted to believe it was possible. She would make it possible. _"We'll see what times gives us, how about that, my fear little genuine pig."_

Time had answered her, and in an immensely unexpected way.

Getting a house call was normal, in fact, since her reputation had been restored she'd gotten quite a few. She'd kept them as close as possible never straying far from the Tokyo area, but one afternoon as she was about to close up the clinic for the night she got hit with a curveball. A personal call from the relative of an old friend suffering from a disease that had local doctors and physicians stumped on how to treat it. Could it be cured? Yes, but only at a major hospital, the likes of which could only be found in Sumaru City a couple of miles away.

Or by someone who'd had experienced in curing the supposedly uncurable, like her.

A combination of attrition and anxiety had worn her done until she finally said yes to the request. That was how she found herself here on this half-filled train speeding through the countryside in the middle of an autumn downpour. She wanted this whole affair to pass just like how this rain storm would, leaving behind nothing but a few puddles that would evaporate into nothingness within a few days' time.

Upon arriving the first thing she did was check herself into a local hotel. She had everything she thought she'd need for the treatment thus one would have assumed she would head out for a quick night on the town before she could truly get to work. The rain had put a damper on those plans, or they'd provided a convenient excuse for her to sit back and watch. Her fingers pressed up against the glass screen of the window while her eyes scoured the landscape. Of course, she had to reserve a room on the seventh floor of a twelve-story building. Was that another part of her cowardice?

When she'd rode into Meguro it seemed a rather nice and quiet place to live, not quite unlike her own hometown. That said, Tae knew looks could always be deceiving, after all, her entire world had been rocked by a walking personification of the saying. His home lay somewhere beyond the steel field of buildings and parking lots that stretched out before her. Akira was a simple call away with her hotel phone…or her own personal phone.

So why? Why was she so scared of calling him despite now possibly being within traveling distance of him?

For a brief second Tae thought she saw lightning flash across the graying sky. She told herself that was a good thing, that it just further reinforced her reasons to stay quiet. Pulling away from the window she made towards her suitcases. Tae pushed away the thoughts of her black-haired lover, telling herself that when dawn broke she had to be a doctor, one who'd been called to this out of the way place for a single purpose. A life was at stake and she had to do what Akira had reminded her she could do-help people.

* * *

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll be home before it gets real dark. Alright, goodbye, and good luck at the gym, mom." Once the call ended Akira breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned against the doorway.

"You've been back almost a year and your mom still worries about you, not that I blame her." Sounded a certain blue-eyed feline from his schoolbag. It'd come as a great relief to the both of them that his Tokuyama High bag was big enough for the former Persona-using cat to slip into. And the school's populace was just as lax and blind as Shujin.

As he'd done several times throughout the day Akira leaned back into his seat, the desire to place his legs over the desk just barely restrained. He'd honestly missed the ability to so leisurely relax while in the classroom. Back at Shujin he would have been able to get away with doing so, mostly, but not here at Tokuyama. In addition to being having an impersonal relationship with just about every teacher in the school Akira knew he was still walking on thin ice. That last one actually never really surprised me. Even during his last days at Shujin just before he "dropped out" a handful of students and teachers still shot him a sideways glare and whispered behind his back when they thought they could get away with it. All of it just further hammered home what he already knew about life-screw up once and people will never let you forget it.

His parents hadn't been blind to his treatment and had expressed their worry several times over, like his mother. Watching the thousands of rain drops on the window he was reminded of the many tears he knew she'd shed during his prohibition and the ones she'd shown him when he finally returned home. While every day he missed his friends and associates in Tokyo he couldn't deny he at least had two people here in Meguro who missed him.

Lightning jumped between the black clouds followed by a boom of thunder. The gloomy weather seemed an accurate reflection of his mood this day, and most days since he got back.

Things weren't all bad though, or that's what he told himself whenever he felt the weight about to crush him underfoot. Checking his phone, he was pleasantly surprised to find a string of text messages from his fellow thieves and other associates who made a habit of remaining in regular contact with him. Their constant contact was how Akira found the strength in him to keep going, though on person in particular had been a major motivator for him, and she sadly hadn't been returning any of his messages lately.

"Akira, you know it's possible something business-related came up. Remember, you've fallen for a girl who still likes keeping things close to her chest." Morgana pipped up. He would have came out of the bag if he didn't have the lingering fear any second someone could walk in and see him. Annoying as it was caution was still their friend. "To be honest, you're like that too, especially since you got back."

He had to give that one to his ever-loyal feline companion. Granted, the number of people he could confine in were limited to his hands, one hand max really. As bad as it sounded even his parents just barely made the list on account of the…issues they were all still working through. They knew he was a member of the Phantom Thieves, yes, that had been a revelation they'd visibly wrestled with when he told them, one that he knew would take weeks for them to come to grips with. Eventually, his mother had been the one to say she was proud of him for choosing to follow his own path and continue to do what he thought was right. She had tears forming in her eyes when she said those words causing Akira to instinctively wrap her up in his arms. It was quite a turn about from his childhood years as he could easily rest his chin atop her head. His father had done the same, albeit slowly and with a little more fanfare.

As an architect Kunihiro Kurusu was a man used to structure and order, it was how he provided for his family and had made a name for himself. Learning his son had been breaking and entering (to be it lightly) had come as something of a sucker punch; thankfully he wasn't as mad as Akira had thought he'd be. If anything, his father seemed more worried he'd been risking his life pulling off crazed acrobatic stunts to which his mother answered he was the son of a gymnasts. Akira remained the three of them getting a good laugh over that one, even Morgana had joined in though he'd done his best to keep quiet. That had been one of the best evenings he'd had since coming home.

His father wouldn't have been surprised he was sitting here by his desk staring out the window while his fellow classmates made their way either home or to whatever after school activities they had planned. Almost a year ago Akira would have been doing the same, except he would be disappearing into a vast city where the odds of him running into school associates was minimal. That was perfectly fine by him since a good number of people still tended to avoid him despite his supposed clear record.

"I'll head on down to the market then go home." He finally decided standing straight up.

"Alright then, but I wouldn't lose yourself, it looks like it's going to start raining and you known how I feel about water." Sounded Morgana glancing at the window.

"You make it sound like I'm going to do something melodramatically stupid like go down to the harbor and look out at the sea in the rain."

"It's not like it'd be out of the ordinary for you. You've done it before, except there's a difference when the sun is out." Cracked the talking cat. "Not to mention it won't exactly help your reputation."

"Well, I'm not exactly worried about that last part. I'm kind of already there so I really don't see a way for me to go forward or backward. Not that I care much about that sort of thing anymore." Answered the former Phantom Thief.

Only a handful of students remained as he made his way toward the exit. A handful bothered to give him a second look, most didn't even bother and treated him like he was just another part of the building. Akira returned the feeling in kind until he got outside and held up his umbrella.

"Finally leaving, and going out the front door? I'm shocked."

Stopping dead in his tracks, Akira turned to face the owner of the voice. He refused to grace her presence with anything like a sigh of annoyance or snicker, a poker face was best as he'd learned during his time in Tokyo and beyond. When Akira's emotionless gray eyes met the deep dark green of Tomiko Imada, classmate and sometimes friend and sometimes critic. And since he got back, full-time watcher.

Placing an instinctive hand on his bag to keep Morgana silent he cocked his head to the side. "Why shouldn't I? Last I checked, Tomiko, I wasn't a criminal. Or is it you believe the rumors?"

The dark brown-haired girl shrugged as she walked up to him. In the bag Morgana teased hearing the brunette's footsteps draw closer and closer. While he knew Akira was fully capable of talking his way out of most situations, you never knew when a slip up would happen and could completely railroad everything they'd worked for. Their adventures in Tokyo had more than taught them that.

Coming to a stop less than a foot from him, the brunette with her shoulder-length strands fixed him with a somewhat annoyed stare. Her arms crossed and a pout formed on her usual stoic and focused face. "You know, I hate it when you do that. That stupid head turning, you're a human being, not a monkey interacting with people at the zoo."

"Could have fooled." Shrugged the black-haired teenager. "Given the way people look at me you'd think I was some animal on display. Maybe a tiger or a lion,"

"More like a snake given the way you've been acting." Shot back the female. "Seriously, before the incident you were just a little quiet and sly, but once you came back you've been…"

"Weird? Violent?"

Sympathy immediately flashed in her eyes somewhat off-setting Akira. While a vast majority of students had given him the cold shoulder upon returning to Tokuyama High a handful hadn't and even made attempts to reach out to him. Tomiko was one such person, and it just so happened she was one of the most popular girls in school. "Akira, when you came back I could tell you were different. You seemed…well, I really don't know how to describe it. The closet thing I can give is you went to war or something and came back a shell-shocked veteran. Was the big city really _that_ horrifying?"

Honestly, Akira wanted to chuckle. _Oh, Tomiko, if only you knew, and if you're lucky you never will._ Rolling his shoulders, he kept up his mask of nonchalance. "All I can tell you is I saw some things that changed my world view about certain matters."

"Are you ever going to tell me?" She pressed.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Fired back the former Persona-user with narrowed eyes.

Her expression crumbled into a worried frown, one he'd seen on multiple people for a number of reasons. At this point, Akira believed the look was slowly but surely becoming his kryptonite. "Because I'm worried about you. Today wasn't the first day you stayed behind in class and stared out the window. I repeat, you look like a shell-shocked veteran. My grandfather and grand-uncle have that same look when I go visit them-they stare out at the water and remember their time during World War II. Do you have any idea how many rumors are flying around about you? About what could have happened to you?"

"Yeah, let me tell you, some of them are _really_ outlandish. Come on, me, abducted by aliens and having my brain probed?" Inquired the gray-haired teen with a playful grin.

"I feel like a psychologist could walk straight into your mind and still come out crazy or a blabbering mess." Tomiko stated rubbing her head. "Akira, you haven't even told me the whole story about what happened in Tokyo. Do your parents at least know?"

 _No, and like you, they're better off not knowing._ Thought the teenager with cold fury brewing within him. Even if they loved him there were some things he'd rather his mother and father never know about. Neither of them would be able to sleep at night blaming themselves for putting their son through such a maelstrom of danger and stress. His eyes flickered from Tomiko to the outside where the rain had begun to pour in earnest. Now he knew for real if he took his time he'd catch a cold and raise his parents' concern. Not to mention if Tae called she'd have his butt for doing something so idiotic as catching a cold. Still, her chewing him out would be worth if only to hear her voice and see her face. "I've told them, I've told them I'm still adjusting and they've given me my space. They're doing my best and I'm grateful for that," Fully facing her, the ex-Phantom Thief gave the brunette a smirk that had her cheeks burn crimson. "And I'm glad you care enough to come talk to me-the school tiger."

His associate of six years whipped her head to the right in a futile attempt to hide her blush. While they had their differences Akira couldn't help but note Tomiko careful and astute nature heavily reminded him of Makoto, and they both handled embarrassment in the same way.

"S-Shut-up. At times you make me think you enjoy the way everyone handles you like you're nuclear material." She snapped.

"Maybe I do, it certainly keeps people from bugging me for stupid reasons." Answered the gray-eyed male. "Later."

He turned on his heel and began making his way through the rain-soaked courtyard. No sooner had he begun his journey did he notice a second umbrella pop-up beside him.

"Mind if I come with you to wherever it is you're going?" Tomiko innocently questioned.

Akira sighed. "Regardless of what I say, you're gonna follow me anyway so what the hell. I'm going down to the market."

As she was amongst the handful of people Akira felt somewhat safe in confining in Tomiko. Of course, there were several things about his adventures in Tokyo he left out, but she never seemed to pick up on those finer details, and knowing Tomiko if she did she knew better than to press Akira for them. The sights and "hot spots" of the city, the restaurants, and the people, those were what she primarily asked about and Akira was more than happy to answer her. His answers would either have her go wide-eyed or calls of BS; Akira enjoyed the convincing he had to do to get her to believe him, and even then he could always hear her muttering under her breath.

"If you don't believe me, you can go there yourself. Trust me, seeing is believing." He'd told her as they passed the sliding glass doors of his favorite convenience store.

"Uh-uh, when that day comes I'll owe you." Tomiko nodded in semi-agreement. "You've spent the last couple of weeks filling my head with all kinds of ideas and fantasies, so you've got to take responsibly for that."

Closing their umbrellas, the pair took a minute to dry themselves off as did several other customers who came in with them. Akira took hold of the basket then headed off in his own direction with Tomiko doing likewise. Even with the store half-packed he knew he could get a word or two in regarding his feline companion.

"Glad to see some are at least trying to reach out to you, it wouldn't hurt to open up a little to her." Whispered Morgana from the safe confines of Akira's school bag.

"I'll consider it." Akira answered with dismissal interest.

"Urgh, seriously, you're allowed to have at least one female friend outside of the Phantom Thieves. I'm pretty sure Tae will forgive you for trying to make friends if she ever found out."

"Why'd you have to jump to that?" Whispered the teenager. "You're making it sound like I can't handle being around another girl without making a play for her."

A haughty snort left the black bag. "Well, you did make her blush barely half an hour ago."

"Get real, I'm able to do that to almost every girl I meet, including those I don't have a romantic interest in." Calmly and quietly answered back the male student. His favorite band of potato chips weren't on sell meaning he was going to have to pay full price for them. _It's not like I need to conserve money, I built up more than enough thanks to the oh so generous donations of Tokyo's Shadows._ Most problems that ordinary teenagers had to go through no longer held the same weight to Akira as they did before. Maybe he'd "grown up too fast" as some adults would say when watching children exhibit tendencies and behavior beyond their years. "Besides, Tomiko's would catch hell if she was caught hanging around me. Remember, some assholes still haven't taken the hint I'm done dealing with people's shit when they throw it at me."

"What makes you think she's the type who can't throw it back?"

He waited until he was near alone in the back of the store before answering. "She probably can, but I'd rather not drag Tomiko into fights like that. She's the type who'll worry herself to death, then she'll turn to me. The longer I can keep the you-know-what under wraps, the better. Remember, I had a personal maid, helped launder guns, went some shady places, and lastly served as a human guinea pig for experimental drugs. That last one may have her thinking I'm contagious or something."

"Well, you _were_ infected by this irritating little disease called love." Snickered the blue-eyed cat. "Not to mention the infection seems untreatable."

Akira laughed looking over a package of frozen burgers he could microwave and fix himself to make a meal. "It's not like I've got anything to complain about regarding-"

As the saying went, speak of the devil and he shall appear. In Akira's case it was more like speak of death and he would appear.

Or rather, _she_ would appear.

Stormy gray stared back at bright brown. Two mouths almost directly adjacent to each other dropped in shock as the respective eyes of each grew wider and wider by the second. Within his bag-turned cover, Morgana picked up the familiar scent of his owner's lady love and fought to keep a yelp of surprise from leaving his throat. A second passed, and he fought to keep a cry of pain bottled as the bag he was in along with the shopping bag Akira was carrying both hit the floor. The feline wanted to shout at his companion to be more careful, but it was doubtful the human would have heard his words. He was right.

The ex-Persona user paid little to no mind to the items spilled across the floor, all he could was focus on her. Tae's blue hair hadn't changed that much, perhaps it had grown an inch or two, but otherwise it was in its same bob-cut style he found so appealing. A black choker still adorned her neck with a necklace intertwining it. A dark gray raincoat adorned her upper body stretching almost down to her knees. Speaking of knees, silver-strapped rain boots covered her legs instead of her usual gladiator sandals though her leggings remained. In one hand was a shopping bag and in the other was a stylized leather bag he'd seen her carrying around from time to time.

For Tae, it was irritating how…real her boyfriend looked standing before her just as surprised as she was. Unlike his Shujin uniform, his Tokuyama uniform was light gray possessing a singular red toy and golden buttons. Cleary the tie had been loosen since his leaving school and she was pretty sure if given the chance he would have completely removed it. For a fraction of a second Tae's eyes drifted south to his fallen school bag. If she had to guess, inside was amongst his school work a small black-furred feline with striking blue eyes. The one thing she focused on the most though was what hung around his neck, the dog-tags she'd given him. They shined brilliantly in the light of the convenience store.

People had turned their heads and were coming, they both knew this but their brains were in too much of a state of shock to do anything about it. A scene was imminent.

Tae recovered first.

"S-Sorry about that, my bad!" Her voice miraculously reached through to Akira as she kneeled down and began helping him pick up his items.

"N-No, r-really, it's mine."

Their fingers brushed up against each other causing invisible sparks to jump between them. The urge to turn those sparks into a roaring family was strong, but their combined restraint was mightier. Keeping their eyes from directly gazing into each other was another struggle, one that proved far harder than physically touching each other surprisingly. Akira silently took in as much of Tae's perfume as he could through the guise of taking deep breaths.

"Hey, Akira, what-oh." Sounded Tomiko rounding the corner and coming upon the scene. She didn't dwell too long on Tae, thankfully, her attention seemed to be secured on her somewhat nervous looking classmate. "After acting all big and cool you go and do this, you know, I'm half-tempted to record this then send it to the school newspaper so they have something to print."

To the brunette's subtle surprise, the dark-haired youth remained composed and rigid. "You do that and they'll also be learning of who caused the blackout of Fuchida Junior High three years ago."

"You wouldn't!" She hissed.

Looking up, Akira smirked. "By all means, test that theory and see how it turns out."

Tae struggled to suppress the dark laugh that threatened to spill from her lips. Her boyfriend hadn't changed physically nor had he done so emotionally, a smart-mouthed and quick-thinking guinea pig he'd remained. They stood up once they finished collecting all their items and finally met eyes.

 _How have you been?_

 _What are you doing in town? Why didn't you call me to let you know you were coming?_

 _Can I come over?_

Breaking off eye-contact, they went in different directions. Akira was only faintly aware of Tomiko's chattering in one ear and Morgana groaning in silence annoyance in the other. He wanted to look back at his secret girlfriend, but he knew better than that. If he did who knew what could have happened. Painful as it was, he endured it until they were at the cash register and beyond.

"Did you know that woman?" Asked the brunette once they were out the door and staring out at the rainy sky.

"What makes you say that?"

Tomiko raised an eyebrow at him. "Usually, you're so damn unshakable and cool something phasing you has to be pretty big. Anything I should know?"

"Tomiko," Akira began raising open both hands. "I just had a moment or two of losing myself in my thoughts. I made a mistake, I'm still entitled to those, aren't I?"

Unfolding her umbrella, she took the first step out into the rain. "I…I guess I'm just being a little paranoid. I've probably said a hundred times, but you've been pretty out of it since you came back. I just want to make sure you don't do something stupid like wonder into traffic."

"If I did that what kind of flowers would you bring to my funeral?"

She didn't grace his question with an answer which only made the male teenager laugh. Their umbrellas bobbed at each other's sides as they walked in the rain, neither saying a word to the other until they got to inevitable street corner that would separate them. While the difference between their families' income was easily measured she lived in what one could have called Meguro's "upper scale" district". From time to time they joked about it yet nothing serious ever came of it, they never allowed it to.

"See you tomorrow, and try to keep your head screwed on." Tomiko smiled.

"No promises," His waving did the trick in placating her as Tomiko hurried off down the adjacent street not at all minding the pelting rain or thunder in the distance. Akira didn't mind it either as once he was sure she was out of sight and hearing range he let his arm drop and his expression become focused. Steeling himself, he searched around the street corner and intersection for his goth-doctor girlfriend. She hadn't come out with them when they'd left the store nor had she made any appearances on their walk after. His thin hope that she'd take the plunge and follow him withered and died as he looked and looked yet found only his fellow townsfolk. "Did I imagine that whole thing?" Spoke the teen with melancholy.

"No, you didn't, trust me, that was definitely Tae's scent I picked up." Pipped up Morgana. "Look, I'm sure she's got her reasons. For now, shouldn't you get home? You can call her once you're some place warm and I've been fed."

"Heh, yeah, I have been starving you for a while, haven't I?" Patting the bag, the teen spun on his heel and began down the sidewalk. The unease that had once gripped his heart slowly began to wash away like the rain flowing into the sewers and drainage across town. Every once in a while, he'd glance skyward just in time to catch a brief glimpse of lightning followed by a crash of thunder. Rather than troubling or frightening Akira actually found a bit of comfort in the stormy dance unfolding above him. Arrogant as it was, mother nature had nothing on his best friend, and until prove otherwise he'd proudly carry that thought.

The Kurusu household, on the surface it didn't particularly look like anything one could write home about. That was if they were comparing it to other two-story basic-build houses. Compared to some of what he'd seen in Tokyo it might as well have been a mansion, hell, compared to Sojiro's attic Akira felt his family home was a royal place. It'd taken him some time, but eventually he'd learned how to call the massive gray and blue-colored building home. And he had it all to himself for a couple of hours well into night hours.

In a short number of paces and turning of the door knob he was inside and blasted by a wave of warm air that had him lying his head against the door in bliss. Finally, in the clear, Morgana jumped out and raced along the ground stretching out his legs. While at the very least Akira could physically move his body, the blue-eyed feline had literally been confined to a somewhat sweaty and cramped school bag for most of the day. Every afternoon he returned home he practically bolted out of the black leather container and onto the living room floor.

"Ahhh, coming in from the rain, the feeling never gets old." Shouted the supernatural mammal.

"Amen to that." Called Akira from the kitchen with the bags piled up and their contents being removed and sorted through. "Give me a minute before I can-"

 _ **BING!**_

Subconsciously, he knew what the source of the sound was and why it even existed in the first place. Morgana stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face his owner and partner who'd gone wide-eyed. He called Akira's name out of caution, but the teen simply further loosened his tie then headed back for the door. His hand went to the locks first then he swung it open.

Tae stood in the doorway with her hoodie pulled over her face. Similar to Akira, two bags were held in her hands, one personal and the other a shopping bag. Sucking in a quick breath, he moved aside allowing her in. Morgana's eyes went wide seeing the blue-haired doctor so calmly entering the Kurusu household.

 _Well damn, I guess she was following us._

Unlike in the store the goth doctor was able to lower her bags to the ground gently rather than drop them. Sadness spread across her face as she stood up. "Akira, I'm so-hmp!"

He was aggressive and wanting, exactly how Tae wanted him. The Plague's hands shot to Akira's cheek then his neck like vipers. Her body was pushed up against the door with an audible _thud_ that rivaled the thunder outside, and his tongue rampaging through her mouth was the lightning. Tae gladly opened herself up to the ravenous whip until she chose to insert her into her lover's mouth. Akira's hands snaked around her waist holding her tightly against his body. He didn't care that she still had on her raincoat and was soaking his uniform; all that mattered was the light of his life was back in his arms. On Tae's end she was in the exact same boat.

Watching with a cheeky smile Morgana rolled his eyes. _Usually when you talk about things you jinx them. For those two it seems to work in reverse, hell, her Arcana is death and he's a fallen angel so I suppose it's fitting._ For all intents and purposes, it appeared the lovebirds had completely forgotten about him as their make-out continued. Sighing as best a cat could he jumped onto the sofa and attempted to make himself comfortable, or get a better view of the action.

They broke away from one another for air. Akira guided her towards the kitchen counter where he swiftly took her by the hips and placed her atop the marble surface. "God, I missed you so much." He whispered before diving back into her lips.

Tae gently pushed her teenage love away in an attempt to undo the buttons on her coat. Picking up on it, Akira did it for her. "You read my mind. I've missed you too, I wanted to see you but I just…" In typical Akira-fashion, her raincoat was thrown to the side to be picked up and moved when they regained a rational thought. That time would come later after they'd gotten their fill of each other.

 _Here I thought the sitcom situations were behind us, at least until we went back to Tokyo or Akira went to college._ Mused the feline with a dry chuckle. Over in the kitchen the pair were getting quite frisky. As he'd done to her, Tae got a hold of Akira's tie and proceeded to remove it, keeping it loosely held in her hand while going for the buttons on his blazer. When Akira's lips found her neck the reaction was expected. _Alright, enough, I gotta step in before they decide to screw each other here in the kitchen, with me watching!_ Standing up on all fours he began meowing. That did nothing. _Oh, for Pete's sake! Hey! If you two are gonna do THAT do it in up in your room!_

To Tae it was just a cat's meows, to Akira, it was an unwanted air horn. Eventually Tae picked up on the message. Reluctantly, the Fool and his witch broke apart leaving their lips crimson red and moist. Akira's hands remained wrapped around Tae's waist while her hands stayed semi-glued to his chest. Both looked to each other with heavy breaths.

"Um…welcome to Meguro," Began to teenager. "And welcome to my house."

The blue-haired woman smiled. "Thanks for the welcoming, and I'm sorry about…not calling or giving you some kind of heads up." Allowing her head to fall forward she was blessed with the sound of his heartbeat. Shutting her eyes, she took a moment to listen to the beautiful organ. Her boyfriend understood her desires and held her close until she finally had the strength to speak. "I…got a house call, well, the long version is a friend sorta twisted my arm into coming down here to treat a relative."

"How'd it go? Or am I interrupting you?" Fired off the black-haired teen.

She smiled seeing his naked concern for her nature as a doctor. Clearly, he wanted to ensure that his hard work in getting her back into gear had stuck. "He's going to be fine. I took a look at him, gave him the right medication and made sure he was admitted to the local hospital under my guidance. I was…I was actually on my way back to my hotel when I spotted you in that convenience store."

"Chance." Laughed the younger of the pair.

Tae joined him looping his tie around his neck. "Funny how you always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Must be magic." Hooping off of the counter she ran a perfectly flawless hand over his cheek.

"So, you've…got a place to stay already?" Whispered the teen.

She detected the sadness in his voice and smiled. "I do, but I…think maybe I should…stay out for a little while longer. Tell me, are your parents home? Have they gone out?"

Her guinea pig smiled that wicked smile that made her blood run hot and her heart beat at three times its regular speed. "Dad's still working at the office and mom's busy teaching at the studio. She won't be getting off for…two hours or so. Long enough for a thorough examination?"

"Maybe," she quipped running her fingers along the crux of his neck and shoulder. "It'll be risky, but it _is_ enough time for me remind my dear little guinea pig what happiness looks and tastes like. That is, unless Morgana minds."

Turning his head back with a laugh Akira comically noted the sour expression on his companion's face. The silent exchange ended with the talking cat rolling his eyes before giving his nod of approval. He turned back to his blue-haired love and grinned.

The groceries were quickly but carefully put away by the teenager while Tae made herself at home. She whistled at the size of the house outright telling her boyfriend it was much nicer than either his attic or her apartment. Still, seeing it just further reminded Tae how much Akira had given up for his one good deed; it also warmed her heart a little that he would choose her and Tokyo over this place. Picking up the smell of coffee she turned and found him in his unbutton under-shirt standing before her with two mugs. Muttering a thank you she took the steaming hot mug and enjoyed the sweet taste of her boyfriend's personally made coffee. It was just as good as she remembered, maybe better.

Her raincoat was gathered up and deposited on the coat rack while her boots and jacket were folded up and placed in a corner leaving her in little more than her undershirt and leggings. As far and looks went Tae looked like she was at home; she was, and so too was Akira.

"At the very least you've got a handful of people reaching out to you." Said the doctor after he'd explained the nature of his relationship with Tomiko and the finer details of his school life. "You should open up to her, branch out a little while you're here."

"That's…kind of surprising coming from you." Mouthed the former bespectacled youth.

Realizing where his mind was going, or rather, where it'd already gone Tae giggled then bopped him on the head. "I'm not gonna deny I'm possessive of you, because I am, and rightfully so. But, as your girlfriend and doctor I'm willing to trust you not to do anything stupid while we're apart, understand?"

Even if it was meant to be serious Akira couldn't help but laugh. God, he'd missed everything about her from her voice to her face to her cute little threats. "Got it." He pulled her onto his side of the couch where their lips met in a fiery embrace that sent the pair of them tumbling onto the soft wool. After months away from her he was back in his dear doctor's arms and his mouth was once again on hers'. What few times they broke away from each other for breath was punctuated by their wanting glances of each other.

Tae pushed him up. "Room." She commanded with a beat red face.

Grinning the teenager hoisted her up into his arms and sat up from the couch.

Just as the knob clicked and began to turn.

"Akira, we're back-! AKIRA!"

The eyes of the pair flew open while their bodies came to a complete and total stop. Slowly, with all the moisture evaporating from their bodies they turned in unison toward one direction.

There standing there in the doorway, still clothed in their raincoats stood Kunihiro and Azumi Kurusu, their mouths gaping wide and their eyes glued to the image of their son hoisting a scantly dressed blue-haired woman into his arms. Both their faces were glowing crimson and their necks were adorned with teeth marks all but confirming what the parents hoped to be a water-induced illusion.

With his girlfriend sweating bullets in his arms and his parents frozen stiff in shock Akira so desperately wished the universe would answer his pleas with something, anything. A second ticked by, then another, and then another. He was fresh out of luck.

 _You've got to be fu…_

"U-U-Um, h-hi, Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu?" It was a miracle Tae's vocal cords still worked, as did her facial muscles as she managed some sort of crooked smile. Softly nudging him she got Akira to release her allowing the doctor to stand on her own two feet with her boyfriend beside her. It did little good to stem the wave of fear and embarrassment racing through her. _I KNEW THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!_

Taking his love's lead, Akira laughed. "Hehe, h-hi mom, dad, y-you're back early." Reaching for her hand he was happy when he felt her instinctive grip his palms. "This is…mom, dad, this is my girlfriend Tae Takemi, we…met while I was in…Tokyo."

For the second time that day, bangs were abruptly dropped and forgotten about while outside, a clap of thunder that sounded much like laughter boomed over the town of Meguro.

* * *

 **So, quite the pickle Akira and Tae have found themselves in, huh? Read on to the next chapter to see just how they're going to get out of this mess, that is if they can.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Two-Promises Made**_

Just as the unexpected had brought them together it had now brought Akira and Tae face to face with the former's parents. The same parents who'd apparently gotten off work early and come home to find their son making out with a strange woman. Their shock couldn't be called out nor could what came next.

Once Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu regained their ability to speak a barrage of questions, and threats, followed. It was chaos with the two of them asking question after question while glancing and even glaring in Tae's direction. She really didn't blame them as they did come home and find her making out with their son. For all she knew they heard the last thing she said to him which naturally would have sent any parent into a meltdown upon hearing. Akira did his best to answer their questions, that was when he could actually hear them. It was sheer chaos from which the couple knew escape was growing dimmer and dimmer by the second.

Just barely out of the corner of Akira's eye did he spot his animal companion from the stairwell. The expression on his face told him he'd caught sight of his parents' car and had come to warn him. Needless to say, he was too late. Morgana apologized to his partner with fear evident in his eyes as he watched the family argument unfold. Akira merely shook his head before turning back to his folks in an attempt to calm them down. From his place on the stairwell Morgana was torn between fleeing back up to Akira's room and staying downstairs to watch events unfold. Neither option seemed all that appealing, but door number one was growing more attractive as he spotted the looks the parents were giving Tae. It seemed the Kurusus were torn between telling her to get out and demanding an explanation from her.

After what seemed like an eternity, someone finally arouse to break the shouting match. "Enough!" As a result of his career Kunihiro Kurusu knew a thing or two about how to break up fights and quiet-down rowdy crowds. That said, there was a difference between quieting down a board room then it was his family. Especially with his emotions running higher than a plane. He was angry and confused, but he managed to push both emotions aside enough for him to clearly look at his son and the mysterious woman he was making out with. To her credit, she stood her ground under his piercing gaze. "Everyone, table, now, including you, whoever the hell you are."

The raincoats of the Kurusus joined Tae's. Even if the shouting had stopped the tension remained, in fact, it seemed to have increased since it now had a vacuum to grow in. As Tae sat beside her boyfriend, his hand still tightly gripping hers', she felt like she was in open water. Either that, or she was standing atop a mountain before two massive beings who held her future in their hands. Tae had somewhat been in this situation before, but a medical board was nothing compared to the parents of her boyfriend. Her _underage_ boyfriend. Who had wisely chosen to skip over her existence when telling the two of them of his adventures in Tokyo.

Sitting almost directly across from them Tae could finally get a closer look at the parents of her boyfriend. She had to admit, looking at them in the flesh she could see where many of Akira's physical and psychology features and quirks came from.

Kunihiro Kurusu very much resembled his son from the tall and lanky build and dark hair, albeit his wasn't curly like his son's. Their faces were quite alike, he truly looked like the perfect picture of Akira aged twenty years or so with a well-trimmed mustache and forming goatee. Unlike his son's wild and unruly black locks Kunihiro's hair was more slicked back and combed giving him a regal and professional look as one would have expected. The man was an architect and part of his job was planning and being able to sell his designs to potential buyers so he had to make sure he looked presentable. Without his jacket he looked remarkably similar to Akira dressed in just his button-up shirt and his necktie, which hung in a loose knot around his neck. As she'd been told many times a pristine silver watch hung tightly around his left wrist which he rubbed while giving passing glances at Tae. His light gray eyes directly contrasted to Akira's dark gray, a trait she couldn't help but pool over.

Beside him, Azumi Kurusu continuously glanced back and forth between her son and his newly revealed girlfriend. Her hands lay flat across the smooth wooden table, fingers flexing and unflexing as a clear indicator of her anxiety. Periodically, her nails would sink into the wood as she looked hard in Tae's direction. Though a different color than Akira's, Tae could tell the dark hues of her beloved came from this woman staring at her. Her dark blue orbs were like search lights taking in every detail on Tae's body. After countless examinations of patients, karma had finally decided to put her in their shoes and let her feel the unease she'd inflicted on others. She didn't like the feeling, one bit.

Tae was able to tell Akira's hair had come from her, as did his hips. Though a somewhat petite woman standing at only five-foot six her body was well toned and defined as one would have expected of a gym instructor. It was easy to see this woman was in perfect health and worked diligently to maintain her physique. Tae could respect that. Differing from her husband and son's her hair was a series of beautiful cinnamon-colored curls that had endured the rainstorm outside and even came out looking quite attractive. Akira told her at work she kept her hair tied up in a ponytail, and even then, she attracted quite a bit of attention from her students and even fellow instructors. She could now see why Akira was a handsome man for his age, part of it clearly came from his mother who was something of a beauty herself.

It was just a shame that beauty was rapidly becoming a front for a growing sense of suspicion and even malice aimed solely at Tae. The punk rock doctor knew if she said one wrong word the dance teacher would be on her in ways worse than her husband who was visibly steaming at his son. By reflex, she gripped her boyfriend's hand tighter.

Kunihiro ran a frustrated hand over his forehead, a habit Akira told her he always did when trying to sort out his emotions. Placing his hands flatly together he finally turned to his son, his attention directed solely on him. "Okay…when we asked you why if you were doing well at school, you told us the truth. You showed us report cards and we didn't receive any angry calls or letters from Shujin. We asked Sojiro if you were staying out of trouble, and he told us you were doing just fine. When we asked what was the deal with this Phantom Thief business, you came clean, and we believed you despite the absurdity of it all. We asked you…if you'd…met anyone…while in Tokyo…you told us you didn't." Rivaling the speed of lightning Kunihiro snapped to Tae. The woman didn't flinch. "Who is she because she sure as hell isn't from around here. Or at least I don't believe she is."

"You're…right." Began the youngest of the four making sure to choose his words carefully. "Like I said, we…she's from Tokyo, she was my-"

"Doctor." Answered the blue-haired woman. There was no way in hell she was going to let Akira take the brunt of this all by himself, she'd be damned before that happened. This day was bound to come sooner or later, she knew it when she and Akira decided to give a relationship between them a try. The time had arrived and all she could do was give it her all. "Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu, I can…assume Akira told you about his…activities as a Phantom Thief?"

"Activities? You mean that my son has been breaking and entering? Putting his life on the line in ridiculous stupid stunts?" Challenged Kunihiro.

"With all due respect, Mr. Kurusu, they were _far_ from stupid." It was instinctive, her defense of her boyfriend came hot and harsh, harsher than she'd intended. Still, after seeing with her own eyes Tae refused to allow anyone, even his own parents, to belittle the risks and sacrifices Akira had taken to save those in need. "He helped countless people, including me. In fact, without him I can honestly tell you I…I…without him, a lot of people would be worse off than they are now."

"Your involvement with our son, explain that." Contrasting her husband's highly emotional and booming voice Azumi's was silent and cold. The two men who she loved more than life itself shuddered as they recognized that voice well. Tae herself knew it meant the matriarch of the Kurusu family was truly going to be her greatest challenge.

Removing her hand from Akira's grasp, much to his disappointment, she placed both hands on the table. "Akira…needed medication so he and his friends could carry out their actions as the Phantom Thieves, I run a medical clinic in Tokyo. It wasn't too far from where he was staying with Sojiro Sakura in spite of my…reputation, he paid me a visit and we came to an agreement."

"Reputation?" Kunihiro whispered looking furiously at the woman whom his son had given himself to.

"What sort of agreement?" Snapped Azumi narrowing her eyes at Tae.

Akira and Tae looked to each other then back to the married pair. Nerve-wrecking didn't even begin to describe the whole situation, it felt like they were about to crumble away into dust any second. His hand immediately shot to hers as show of support. Tae couldn't have been more grateful for it.

Sucking in a breath, she looked to the two. "I…almost three years ago, I was blacklisted in the medical community due to an…incident." Talking about the incident with her colleagues had been a breeze, especially since there was now undeniable proof she was innocence. Somehow, she felt that wouldn't fly with Akira's parents. "At the university I worked at there was a medical trial that went bad, due to my speaking out against it I was made the scapegoat and fired from my job. My… _former_ superior-"

"Blacklisted her, made the entire mess sound like it was her fault when it wasn't." Though controlled there was an edge in Akira's voice, one that attracted the attention of his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu's eyes went slightly wide seeing the look of controlled rage in their boy's eyes as he recalled the memory. "His name was Shoichi Oyamada, he used his position to pull strings to make sure she couldn't find work anywhere else while covering up the fact the patient that supposedly died during the trial actually survived."

"He used you as a scapegoat." Deduced Kunihiro looking at the blue-haired woman with renewed interest. If spoken from her lips he might have had a tougher time believing it, but hearing the words come from his son coupled with that look in his eyes had been the push they needed. He sat back in his seat, a deep frown eventually covering his face. In the architecture world he'd heard of faulty designs and such costing people either money, prestige or in the worst-case scenario life. When that happened people were rarely open to the idea of taking responsibly for their faults thus blaming them on others. That's what happened to an old friend of his who was forced to retire from the world of office design. "Where does Akira come into this?"

"Though most major hospitals refused to touch me I still had a few connections who hadn't lost faith in me. Thanks to them I was able to set up a small medical clinic in Yongen-Jaya." Based on the flash of recognition in their eyes Tae deduced the pair knew of the area. Odds were, they were rapidly trying to place where her clinic was located and if they'd heard of it. "It's called the Takemi Medical Clinic and it was there I sold my private band of prescriptions and medications."

"So you were a back alley doctor." Azumi cut in looking to her son. Worry was evident in her eyes; it quickly turned into suspicion when her gaze flickered back to Tae. "From what you've told me, the medical world had all but washed its hands of you so and odds were your clinic was fairly out of the way."

"It was. As a result of the incident, I earned a nickname, 'the Plague'." All things considered, she should have kept quiet. Instead of doing that she chuckled at the thought of saying her old nickname out loud. Akira tensed in his seat while his parents looked to her with renewed scrutiny. She didn't blame them. "With a name like that floating around you can imagine I got…few visitors, or at least less than you'd expect your average clinic to get. Still, I made enough to get by."

Kunihiro turned to his son. "Akira,"

"I just knew her by her nickname." If Tae was going to throw caution to the wind then so was he. "Listen, I knew in order for me and my friends to continue being Phantom Thieves we were going to need medical supplies and such in case of-"

"More like when." Interrupted the older man.

"Yeah, you got me there." Laughed the teen despite his father's glare only growing harsher. "Well, anyways, I went to Tae's clinic,"

"Completely disregarding the rumors about me." Sighed the brown-eyed woman.

"And I…we…made a deal with each other." He trailed off feeling sweat beginning to collect on his brow. Briefly looking to his right, he found Tae in the same boat. She knew as well as he did that _this_ part of their relationship was really going set his parents off.

"You had been blacklisted by the medical community and forced into a back-alley existence." Azumi Kurusu declared glaring at Tae before turning to her son. "And you need medicine. What kind of agreement did you two make? Akira, what did you offer this woman?"

"To be her guinea pig." Squeaked the teenage male.

" _WHAT?!"_ Screamed both parents so loud even the neighbors must have heard them

Akira threw up his hands in a half-hearted attempt to calm his parents. "While running her clinic Tae was developing a cure for a disease, the same disease they tried to cure at her previous job. I offered myself to her to serve in clinical trials and in exchange she sold me the medication I needed for my team."

Both of his father's hands came down hard on the table. "You allowed this woman to experiment on you?! Akira, were you out of your damn mind?!"

"I knew we needed medication, and I sure as hell couldn't go to a normal hospital!" Shouted back the teen. "I knew the risks, I knew I had to take a chance!"

"Akira! Kunihiro!" Shouted the matriarch of the family silencing the two men. Tae's original hypothesis proved correct, this woman truly was the fiercest member of the Kurusu family. Her hands spread out along the table once more and her back straightened. Her dark blue eyes sunk into Tae like sharpened hooks. "Ms. Takemi, I'm going to ask you for the honest truth, what. Did. You. Do. To. My. Son?"

Fear rose up her spine and almost took complete hold of her. "The clinical trials were non-lethal." That was the first thing she had to get out of the way. A fraction of the unease in both parents' eyes receded; Tae pressed onward. "At best, he merely fainted afterwards I put him on a medical bed. From time to time he woke up a little light-headed and noxious, but that was it. You have my word, I made sure that what I administered to him wasn't going to be fatal or leave him crippled in pain."

"If you want to take me to the hospital for a checkup, I'm all for it." Offered her boyfriend.

"Akira, please." Kunihiro groaned. "We're already stressed out enough, and this isn't the sort of thing to joke about! Did you know what this woman was giving you?!"

"After the first trial, I had an idea." Admitted the black-haired teenager looking into his father then mother's eyes. "I knew what the potential cost would be, but I decided to take a chance. I trusted Tae, and I still do. The disease she was working to cure was called Crawford-Ende and if I hadn't offered myself to her she never would have found a cure for it. She never would have-"

"I wouldn't be sitting here before you as a doctor." Tae cut off. _God, what the hell did I do to end up with a guy this stupidly dedicated and bold?_ A part of her wanted to reach out and hug him, but that would be too embarrassing, not to mention they still had some convincing to do. "In spite of how much I tried to push him away, Akira kept coming back and eventually I…told him what happened."

"How did you do it?" Azumi questioned turning to her son. "Accusations like the one she was stuck with aren't disproved easily, if anything, it sounded like you needed a direct confession from this Oyamada person."

"She did, and that's what I gave her." Answered the gray-eyed boy with a small smile.

The parents' attention was drawn to the feline addition to their family. Apparently, Morgana had chosen to stick around and watch events unfold. Seeing as things had deescalated he decided to make himself known. In a single bound he was atop the table and brushed up against Tae's hand. In the commotion the doctor had forgotten to greet her boyfriend's always-present fur-covered companion. Truth be told, she'd even grown to miss the blue-eyed cat and its strange almost human-like antics. Across from her, Kunihiro and Azumi relaxed somewhat seeing their newly adopted cat cuddling up to their son's girlfriend.

"Akira, about that," Began his father. "When you cleared Ms. Takemi's name you…didn't do anything illegal, did you?"

"No, no, trust me. I…well, it's hard to explain. Me and my friends took care of him and got him to confess to what had happened." Spoke the teen half-hoping his father wouldn't press him further.

Kunihiro looked ready to press the topic only to be cut off by a hand on his shoulder courtesy of his wife. Realizing that discussion would come at another time he let her take the floor. "Alright then, we've heard the buildup, now I believe we're entitled to how you two…became a couple. Can we at least get an unabridged version of that tale?"

Akira's gut lurched and a blush colored his cheeks. Spotting it, his mother laughed. Internally, Tae smiled a little, Azumi Kurusu had quite the charming laugh; it was near complete opposite of the cold expression she'd worn since this sit down began. Just as she began to speak Akira took the mic for himself.

"Well, it was sorta…during the trials we talked and got to know each other better. I sorta just…I…realized I…liked her. Even if she was at least ten years older than me." Feeling bold, he looked to his father. "Didn't you say that happened from time to time, you get to talking with someone and things like age and race tend to fall by the wayside."

Instead of angry Kunihiro looked embarrassed at having his own advice thrown back in his face. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was faintly aware his well-meaning advice to his son might be used to get him a girlfriend or something, but this wasn't quite how he pictured it. "Well, yes, that's a good way to form a friendship, but I…Akira, I knew one day you'd meet a girl but I thought she'd be-"

"Kuni!" Jabbed the brunette.

"You gave her that look too!" Fired back her husband throwing up his arms similar to how Akira had done further proving they were father and son. "Besides, can you blame me for being worried! She's…she's, um, pardon me, Ms. Takemi, but exactly how old are you?"

"Twenty-eight." She respectfully answered.

"Eleven years his senior, can you blame me for panicking?" Defended the older male.

"No, no I can't." Sighed Azumi. "Please, continue on, how did you two decide to get together? I know there must have been some…reservations about going forward."

"There were." Tae shot first looking away with a crimson tint beginning to form on her pale cheeks. Catching sight of it, Akira couldn't help but smirk. "Right after I…finalized things with my university co-workers he sorta…confessed to me. I was thrown off to say the least."

"But you didn't refuse him." Azumi pressed leaning forward.

"Believe me, Mrs. Kurusu, I…I wanted to, I tried to. Heh, I thought some of the medication I've given him must have had an effect on his mind and came up with theory after theory until I was forced to accept the truth."

"She'd infected me with the love bug." Laughed the black-haired teenager sitting back in his head.

In great contrast to their previous attitudes, the married pair laughed at their son's proclamation, and Tae's blushing yet reserved reaction.

"Once I…realized how serious he was I told him I needed some time and tried to think of a way to refuse him. Surprise-I couldn't." Smiling, she reached out and gently stroked her boyfriend's cheek as she must have done nearly a thousand times before. Whenever nervous or fidgety she found physical contact seemed to do the trick in calming him down. "No matter how many times I went over it in my head, how hard I tried to visualize turning him down…I just couldn't do it. In fact, the thought of breaking his heart…made my heart break too. After a few days of nearly tearing my hair out I decided to…take the plunge."

The married duo looked to Akira who slowly nodded his head in confirmation. Seemingly quelled by the tale Kunihiro and Azumi fell back a little in their seats, the tension visibly leaving their bodies.

"I'm assuming you two…kept the relationship private?" Inquired Kunihiro looking at his son.

"Oh yeah, actually it was kind of fun, wasn't it?" Answered the boy smirking at his girlfriend.

Giggling, the goth doctor rolled her eyes. "Mr. Kurusu, we made sure we weren't spotted, at least not by anyone who could have rated out on either of us."

"That's good to know, but I must ask you, when Akira needed to…disappear, what did you do?"

As usual, it was Azumi that delivered the hard and direct questions.

Visibly flinching Tae looked down due to a mixture of pain and unease. Just when it seemed they were in the home clear the Kurusu family patriarch threw up another roadblock for them to pass. Akira began to speak but Tae squeezed his hand silencing him. "He stayed with me, in my apartment."

Odds were they were expecting it, but that didn't make the vocal confirmation easier to hear. Tae had little to no idea what sort of opinion the Kurusus had formed regarding her, but now she'd stuck them with the image of their son sharing a bed with her. And possibly sleeping with her. She'd practically set off all the parental alarm bells.

Azumi glanced at Akira while her husband proceeded to gap in open shock. Neither need to think hard about what had happened between them when Akira needed to "disappear", especially since it was apparently after they'd became a couple. The gray-eyed teen had enough good sense to blush and try to look away. On the edge of the table Morgana was at an impasse between laughing at his embarrassment and attempting to rescue him. A quick glance to the masters of the house told him that last idea might do more harm than good.

Kunihiro recovered first, surprisingly. "Did…did anyone else find out? Based on what you told us Akira, you built up a decent-sized group of friends and associates, some of whom I believe we may need to know more about."

"In regards to us, only one other person knew-Sojiro." Answered his son.

Rather unexpectedly, or not, the older male face-palmed while muttering something under his breath. Akira winced realizing because of this his surrogate father was more than likely going to be getting an angry phone call from his old friend. He made a mental note that he'd have to make it up to the café owner, and possibly Futaba too if his dad ended up calling at the wrong time. Still, compared to the consequences of lying to his face Akira would have liked to believe he'd made the right choice.

Thunder clapped outside signaling a somewhat unease and extended period of silence at the table. Once more, the silent tension seemed more suffocating than the noise-filled mayhem that had started off this weird first meeting between Tae and the full Kurusu family. Where things went next, she had no idea and that frightened her. Evidently, Akira as well since he couldn't stop glancing between his parents trying to gauge their emotions and anticipate their next actions.

Just as she'd been the one to inadvertently create it, Azumi Kurusu ended the silence. "Kunihiro, take Akira up to your study, there are some things I'd like to discuss with Ms. Takemi."

Her words cut deep sending a wave of fear down the spines of her son and his girlfriend. Their eyes locked then turned in unison to Azumi's. The dance instructor's sharp glare told her son there would be no arguing, then it softened promising him she wouldn't wrangle up his girlfriend _too much_.

Wordlessly, Kunihiro headed for the frig and fished out three cans of soda before motioning for his son to follow him up the stairs. Two steps up and he turned back to face his girlfriend. The smiles they shot each other were encouraging and hopeful, in that a promise to stay strong for the sake of the other.

* * *

Thankfully, Akira hadn't been too wild as a kid growing up. At times curiosity got the best of him leading him to sneak into his father's private office, often to comedic results and only a few negatives. As he grew older he found his father welcoming him into his study, partially in hopes of regaling Akira with tells of his building projects to inspire him into following the same path as him.

For Kunihiro, the road to architecture had began with building model cars and planes, a trait the younger Kurusu admittedly possessed and still dabbled in every now and then. Those childhood models adorned the window still and shelves adding a humanizing feel to the otherwise adult-oriented and standard room that had been made the architect's private office. Standing back directly across from the doorway and hung on the walls were a series of paintings drawn up by none other than Akira's grandmother herself. Every time he saw them his lips couldn't help but tick upward in a smile at the thought of his dear granny's artwork. At various points he'd toyed with the idea of introducing her to Yusuke and watching the friendship blossom between them.

His father immediately took his seat behind his black metal desk while Akira seated himself in the lounge chair directly across from him. Before he'd sat down Kunihiro had already finished downing half of his first can and was probably a minute's away from moving onto his second.

"Sorry." Akira said meeting his father's eyes. Beside him the evening rain continued pelting the window yet there was no thunder.

"Akira, I'm…"

"I know you're mad, I can see it on your face."

"Can you blame me?! I mean, I knew you were going to bring home a girlfriend one day, hell, me and your mom were betting on it and-"

"Who won?" He fired off immediately in honest curiosity.

His father merely stared at him. "Come on, did you think either of us planned on you bringing home a doctor with a sketchy reputation who also happened to be ten years older than you?" There was a beat. "For the record I was banking on you and Tomiko getting together. She's got a thing for you, or at least she always looked like she did to me."

A near exhausted sigh escaped the teenager's lips. "Maybe…if things had been…different that could have happened but…"

"Another lifetime." Affirmed the older Kurusu with surprising dignity and grace. Another one of his predictions and hopes for his son shot down, but not without something new and great rising in its place. "To answer your…original question, I'm…Akira, I…wish you could have just told us. That said, I can understand why you…felt you had to keep Tae a secret from us."

"How would you have handled it if I told you right off the bat?"

"That's a good question, and the fact I can't give you a definite answer partially lends to your point." Kunihiro admitted with s heavy sigh. "Besides, it's not like I can blame you, it seems to run in the family."

For the first time, Akira was surprised by his father. "Huh?"

Kunihiro smiled at his son's confusion. Usually it was his wife that dropped the bombshells but every once in a while, he managed to surprise them. Looking out the rain-soaked window a sad smile graced his face as he began his tale. "You remember growing up how I told you your mom and I had to struggle a little for our relationship to work? Well, believe it or not, but Azumi's parents weren't too keen on their daughter marrying a guy like me. I wasn't always the so-called picture of success I am now."

"But you were still a pretty decent guy, or at least that's what mom always told me." Akira said looking confused.

"Well, sometimes decency isn't enough for some people. Your mom's parents thought Azumi could do better than the son of a lowly clock shop owner and his painter wife. They were already eyeing someone else as her potential boyfriend and possible husband."

That honestly came across as a shock to the ex-Persona user, but quickly enough the shock melted into a daring smile. "Mom said hell no and chose you over that other guy, didn't she?"

Further proving the blood relation between them Kunihiro mirrored his son's grin. He always did get a little excited recalling the story. "Admittedly, I wasn't much back then, a bumbling kid always keep his head glowed to paper and pen instead of people. In spite of that your mother found me attractive for whatever reason and made it her life's mission to keep my attention on her. After a while, I realized instead of plastic and metal there was something far more interesting to gawk at-her."

"So does that mean you-"

"Another time, Akira." Cut off the father causing his son to pout. "Anyway, I wasn't exactly high on the bachelors list, and admittedly even I didn't think I'd achieve my dream of becoming an engineer airplane designer. I spent too much drawing up the insides of buildings and public landscape."

"It got you a nice house, decent salary, and me and mom." Akira spoke.

Kunihiro smiled at his boy. "That all came after Azumi kicked my ass into gear telling me to do what I loved. I had to work my ass off for her parents to so much consider letting me date her, and don't even get me started with I brought up marriage. All in all, I guess what I'm trying to say is…I can understand at least a little where you're coming from. After hearing her story and seeing the way you look at her I can tell it's the exact same as when you stepped in to save that woman. I was proud of you for what you did."

He'd been told those words two times before, but it was the third time, when told by his father in person did he really believe them.

"There are… a lot of things I thought you'd do and planned for, but like your mother, you just did your own thing. I subtly nudged you towards becoming an architect or builder like me, but instead you come back from Tokyo talking about becoming a public defender and politics." A proud smile grew over the face of the professional building planner. "Even if it wasn't what I expected, you seemed to have found your calling in life, and it's helping people. It just so happened along the way you helped and fell in love with a…very eye-catching woman."

"What kind of girl did you think I was going to end up with?" Pressed the younger of the pair.

"Honestly, I didn't know, all I wanted was for someone who'd make you happy the way your mother does for me." Finishing off his first can Kunihiro leaned back in his seat. "I won't lie to you, Ms. Takemi is _far_ from what I expected from you, and that's putting it lightly…but I saw the way you looked at her. Like I said, it seems love struggles run in the family."

"She's a mature woman." He offered.

"With a career I understand she's just now putting back together, and you're a young man who's already going to have a rocky road to a future."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have it any other way." Responded Akira looking determined. "If I have to choose between a smooth glide and fighting uphill, I'll go with the latter. It's always easy to stand by and do nothing instead of putting your feet down and going your own way."

A lively laugh left Kunihiro's lips as he popped open his second can. "And that's how I know attempting to break you two up is only going to backfire on me. Once you get that look in your eyes, you're dead-set."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No," the adult smiled. "It just means me and Azumi raised one tough as hell son, just promise me as a man you'll treat that woman right."

"I will." Akira stated looking at his father with a bit of child-like smile. "I…uh, as far as treating women I care about I've had a good example for the last seventeen years."

The soda cans came down and both the Kurusu males stood up and embraced each other. Outside a tiny break began to form in the clouds from which light began to shine through.

* * *

Tae was somewhat grateful Morgana had chosen to remain behind with her instead of going with Akira. Though she and the cat weren't quite as close Akira was it still showed her support as warranting of her relationship with Akira. In fact, from time to time she could have sworn in the absence of her boyfriend the blue-eyed feline seemed to almost watch over her just as it was doing now.

Azumi had brewed them a each a cup of tea while they sat down for a woman-to-woman talk.

"For the record, I don't hate you." She started.

Tae kept her expression calm and collected as she took her first sip. "With all due respect, you did a damn good job of terrifying me."

Hearing that, Azumi shrugged. "When you become a mother, you'll understand, besides." Placing her cup down Tae took note of the deep shiver that ran through the female Kurusu. "Akira's already been hurt once, and as his mother I _refuse_ to allow anything like that to happen to him again."

In the look the brunette shot her Tae felt her own body shiver. Much like Akira, Azumi Kurusu was able to sharpen her eyes into a pair of razor blades that could tear into anyone stupid enough to incur her wrath. Where as Akira had usually used his gaze as a protector now she was seeing the Kurusu glare used by a far deadlier user, a mother protecting her child. Digging through her mental library Tae recalled a few times she'd seen her mother giving those death glares out to those who turned their wickedness towards her family. She shivered remembering the coldness in which she'd directed to those people; now she knew how they felt.

"Mrs. Kurusu, believe me when I say this, I will _never_ hurt Akira in any way. You have my word." Spoke the blue-haired doctor bowing her head in a show of open humility.

Azumi regarded the woman before him with sharp eyes that slowly softened as she reached out and placed a hand on Tae's. With her permission she rose up allowing the doctor's brown eyes to meet dancer's dark blue. "Alright then, tell me what it is then. What was it about my son that made you risk the reputation he worked so hard to restore for you that you'd put it all at risk for him? When he confessed to you did you feel you owed to him to try and love him back?"

It didn't take degree in psychology to know where this was going. While she may have told her story, Tae knew Azumi still carried her suspicions. As she said, as a mother she was going to do everything in her power to protect Akira, even if that meant breaking up the two of them.

"Like I said, when he confessed his feelings to me I was…dazed, and sorta scared out of my mind." She began placing both hands on her mug. "The truth is, even before that evening down by the river I'd been…having feelings for Akira. You learn a lot about a person when you're seeing him every other day and treating injuries that seemingly pop up out of nowhere. In fact, that's how I discovered he was a Phantom Thief, when he would show up at my clinic looking like he'd just fought a pack of gorillas I started to put all the pieces together until they all just…fit."

"What was your reaction then?" Questioned the mother.

"…Amazement…and a bit of horror that my guinea-I mean assistant was risking his life every night trying to right the wrongs of others. I…honestly, I wondered what had the world come to that it took someone like him to stand up for those that had no voices, people like…me." Unashamed, Tae allowed a crimson blush to color her cheeks as she looked to Azumi. "While running my clinic I'd been harassed before and was able to handle it myself, but when Akira started coming over every time someone would attempt to start trouble with me he was there, sort of like my-"

"Knight in shining armor?" Giggled Azumi.

"Exactly." Smiled back the doctor. "Even when my old boss came by he stood between him and me, calling me a great doctor when he ordered me to shut my clinic down." Her grip on the light green cup grew tighter as she recalled the next sequence of events that followed. "When Oyamada told me the patient I'd been developing my drug for had died I just…lost all the life in me. I was ready to give up, but then Akira was there, telling me to stand up and keep going. This wasn't the first time he'd done that."

"What do you mean?"

"One evening, a girl and her father came by my clinic. No one else had been able to treat her and the father had heard of my practice by word of mouth. I tried to turn them away."

"Not very doctor-like of you, Ms. Takemi." Azumi jabbed.

Tae let it go as she knew at the time she more than deserved it. "I'd…to be honest Mrs. Kurusu, I'd lost my way. While running my clinic I cared more about developing my drug then doing my job as a doctor. I thought I'd lost any right to call myself a doctor after what happened. Still, Akira happened to be there that day and told the father I could treat his daughter. That afternoon instead of getting work done, I helped heal sick little girl." A humorous laugh fell from the Plague's lips. "After that, I started to get an increase in patients. Word of my good deed had spread and suddenly I went from having a handful of patients to…I was becoming a town doctor you could say, all because of Akira."

After a sip Azumi stared at her son's girlfriend with razor-sharp eyes. "I take it that wasn't what you wanted? Let me take a shot, you cared more about developing this drug and curing this disease than attempting to move on with your life and start anew?"

"Yes." Agreed Tae with a downcast frown. "I…I'd resigned myself to being the Plague, a source of discomfort and shame, but your son came along and the next thing I knew I was practicing medicine on people who wanted my help. Some who needed it because they had nowhere else to go. Oyamada wasn't too happy about that to the point he pressured my suppliers and backers into cutting ties with me. For a minute, it looked like I was all out of allies, then Akira told me I still had him. I never told him this, but when he said that I felt so happy inside, but angry at myself because it felt like I'd wasted his time for nothing."

"I see," Azumi stated leaving Tae wondering what was running through her mind. Somewhat uncomfortably, she found she and Akira shared that ability to mask their thoughts well. Truly, from what she'd seen a great deal of Akira's more eye-raising traits had come from his mother. "So basically, when all hope seemed lost at times, he was always there for you, a light in the darkness you could say."

Seeing her slow-forming smile Tae answered with one of her own. "Yes, Mrs. Kurusu, he stuck with me through thick and thin, reminding me of the person I used to be…and maybe still was. You could say he was my…light-bringer."

Placing her mug down, Azumi smiled softly. "That's why we named him Akira, because he lit up our world, and we wanted him to light up the worlds of others."

"He certainly lit up mine." Admitted the redeemed doctor. "Slowly, over the course of the clinical trials I fell for him and didn't realize it until after he'd confessed to me. It scared me realizing I was having romantic feelings for a minor, one I'd…be very hands-on with."

"And by that you mean whenever Akira was knocked out you'd… _examine_ his body, didn't you?" Accused Azumi crossing her arms with a wicked smile forming on her lips.

"Mrs. Kurusu, I-"

"Oh, come on! I'm a dance teacher, Kunihiro and I had to conceive Akira _somehow_!" Her words caused a fiery blush to consume the blue-haired woman's cheeks. Azumi threw her head to side in naked laughter. "Your feelings for Akira were gradually growing and I'm sure you had him take off his shirt a time or two, perhaps not even for medical purposes but just so you could gawk at my son's body. You know, that could easily be called pedophilia or a sexual harassment."

"Y-Yes ma'am, I know." Tae instinctively shut her eyes and braced herself for whatever was to follow.

"Did you…take things to that level before or after you and Akira became involved?"

Pecking out of one eye she saw Azumi sitting before her with her arms crossed and eyes stern. As if called forth by the invisible power she possessed Tae raised her head to meet her eyes. "Before we became a couple. I…had temptations, but restrained myself until after we confessed our feelings to each other. I was honestly over the moon to learn my feelings for him were mutual because I was-"

"Scared of him rejecting you and calling you creepy?"

"Pretty much, I lost some sleep over it."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of." She said taking another sip of her tea. "Every person fears that when they aren't sure what the object of their affections is thinking. Akira's father feared I found him weird and standoffish when we first met…and I was frightened he'd find models and the like more appealing than me. When you learn they really care about you, it's a great feeling, isn't it?"

"Yes," she laughed with the brunette. "It is. No offense, but you're handling this better than I would have thought."

"Oh, trust me, normally I'd be giving you a much tougher time, but I saw the way Akira looked at you and protected you. Since he got back he's been…withdrawn, even from us." Azumi spoke with a ring of sadness in his voice. "But even if it was going up against us, he was livelier and more animated then we'd seen him in months. Just like how he illuminated your life I believe you do the same for him. Everyone needs someone, or that's what I always believe, and you're his someone, even if there's about ten years separating you two."

"You're alright with your son dating a grown woman?" Pressed the goth doctor.

"I'm alright with my son dating a woman who I know will love him for who he is and stick with him." Reaching forward the dancer took hold of the doctor's hand. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say I've found that woman, Tae, don't break my trust by hurting my little Akira."

"I promise." Tae stated placing her other hand atop of Azumi's.

No sooner had the two women made the agreement did they hear the sound of footsteps. Turning their heads, they saw Akira and Kunihiro slowly making their way down. The two males peeked outward to see if the girls were finished, a wave from Azumi told them they were and they began to fully walk down. Akira looked to his mother who smiled and nodded before he moved his attention back to Tae. Without a word he shamelessly swept up his girlfriend in his arms in full view of his parents.

"Look at that, the rain stopped and the sun came out." Noted Kunihiro stepping up to the window. "Akira, why don't you take Ms. Takemi down to the beach? This is her first time visiting Meguro, isn't it?"

Glee broke out on the faces of the high-schooler and his doctor lover. Arm-in-arm and with Morgana occupied on the couch they watched as the pair dressed themselves then bolted out the door into the evening sunshine.

"Seriously, a doctor, and a punk-rock doctor at that?" Azumi laughed.

"He could have done crazier, like a teacher for instance." Kunihiro offered kissing his wife atop the head. "I'm just glad our son's got his spark of life back."

"True, true." Stated Azumi stated before her face turned to one of puzzlement. "But it does make me wonder, what _else_ hasn't Akira told us about his stay in Tokyo?"

"Azumi," groaned her husband. "One heart attack at a time please."

By his place on the couch Morgana snickered.

* * *

"Well, isn't that cliché." Laughed Tae.

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, it's pretty fitting."

Rainbows, while they both preferred fireworks it was hard to deny there was a certain charm and awe in watching the multi-colored arc stretching across the sky. Seeing it after what had been an afternoon of tension and heartfelt confessions certainly added to their appeal. Hand-in-hand the surprise couple walked and walked along the waterfront towards the beach. The worry of someone recognizing Akira had been pushed to the side, and even if someone did he felt a surging confidence that would allow him to take on anyone who called out to him or his girlfriend. Said girlfriend's head rested peacefully on his shoulder.

Gradually metal and wood turned into wet and soft sand as the duo finally reached their destination. Luckily for them the beach was sparsely populated by people after the evening rain shower making the mood just right. Together, they turned their gazes to the orange-tinted seat beyond them.

"You know, rainbows and fireworks were never really my thing, but that all changed thanks to you, my dear little guinea pig." Giggled the doctor engraving the scene before her into her mind. Stretching outward into near infinity lay a beautiful and clear sea died the colors of flame by an evening sun descending southward. Connecting the pure water to the darkening sky was a bridge of seven wondrous colors.

"Then I'm glad I could teach you to enjoy the simple pleasures in life." Sounded Akira enjoying the feel of her body against his. "Too many crazy things can happen in life for you to let the little things slip by."

"Hey, those crazy things aren't so bad," Lightly jabbing him she laughed. "This was one crazy day, but I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Really? You seemed awfully scared for most of it." Spoke her boyfriend with an air of playfulness in his voice.

"Like I told you that evening back in December, sometimes the fear's good, and sometimes a little chance can never hurt anyone. I certainly got lucky being called out here and meeting you at that convenience store." Turning in his arms she looked up at the man who'd changed her life for the better and stolen her heart. Glorious light reflected off the dog-tags that hung proudly around his neck. "I love you."

Coiling his arms around her waist he whispered, "I love you too." After the tension-filled last couple of hours he readily accepted her kiss. It may not have been the privacy of her home but it would do. Bathed in the light of the autumn sunset Tae couldn't have looked more stunning in Akira's opinion. He wished this moment could last forever.

"It's going to be dark soon." She said when they broke apart and glanced back out at the sea. It was true, in less than half an hour or so darkness would blanket the town and surrounding land. Tae didn't really care all that much since her one and only light-source was right beside her.

"Yeah, if you want, I could walk you back to your hotel." He offered.

"Would your parents be okay with that?"

He winked at her. "So long as I text them and assure them it's _only_ going to be a drop-off and not something else."

Tae couldn't help but chuckle then reach out to kiss his cheek. "You're a daring kid, you know that?"

"If I wasn't would you have fallen for me?"

"No, and rather fortunately or not, I like the daring type, and so do you apparently." Giggled the doctor.

A lone wave came close to their feet before Akira chose to speak again. "Tae?"

"Hm?"

"Would you…be okay with coming back to Meguro in a few weeks? There's a chance my parents might not be out of the house but-hmp!"

Smirking against his lips Tae cupped his face while forcing his mouth open. He responded to her actions by pulling her closer against him. "So long as you're here my little guinea pig, of course."

A chilly wind blew inward from the sun bringing a slight shiver to the beach-goers save for the Fool and his doctor. As their lips greedily pressed against one another a fiery aura seemed to spring forth and engulf the pair shielding them from the autumn wind. They broke away with smiles plastered over their red faces then they turned back to the beautiful sunset by the sea. In time darkness would cover the sky, but until then they'd enjoy what time they had together.

And when the darkness came they'd find each other in it as they'd done before.

* * *

 **Alrighty, that was my first stab at writing a possible interpretation of Akira's parents and them meeting his potential girlfriend, in one of the most compromising positions possible. Of all the girls I feel Tae would be amongst the most striking given her appearance and mannerisms, but she'd be on her best behavior regarding meeting her boyfriend's parents who'd probably be more than a little on-guard around her for a variety of reasons.**

 **It's another part of my headcanon that Akira's mom is a dance teacher or some sort of gymnast making all the acrobatic moves he pulls off something he learned from her. Also, she's an Almighty Mom who's quite protective of him, especially after the incident with Shido. She's going to grill any girl her son brings home with her husband following after her but still trusting his son to find the right one on his own.**

 **This little story was based around the transition of autumn so I think I'll do a follow-up story some time in winter, then another in spring, and a last one in the summer all following their relationship.**

 **Until next time readers!**


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